Body Found In Lane Cove River Being Treated As Murder

A body that was discovered by Kayakers in a river on Sydney’s Lower North Shore is now being treated as a murder.

The body, believed to be Brazilian mining executive Cecilia Haddad, was found on Lane Cove River near Woolwich on Sunday at around 10:15am.

Police originally ruled the death as an accident or suicide, however, they are now treating her death as suspicious.

Cecilia was last seen on Saturday morning by friends after being at a barbecue on Friday night. Her car was also spotted outside her home on Saturday afternoon but she had not been seen or heard from since.

The 38-year-old woman moved to the Ryde area in 2016 after living in Western Australia and Detective Acting Inspector Ritchie Sim says that she was a very social person.

“By all accounts, Cecilia enjoyed an active social life and had made a large circle of friends during her time in Sydney,” he said.

“Concerns were raised for her welfare after she failed to attend various appointments on Saturday. Police spoke to a number of friends and associates in those initial stages, who described it as completely out of character.”

Police are now seeking CCTV footage that may show Ms Haddad or her vehicle, which is a red 2013-model Fiat 500 sedan with registration DJV50H, to determine her movements.

“We are specifically seeking CCTV or dash-cam footage of Cecilia or her vehicle, possibly in the Hunters Hill, Ryde, Top Ryde, West Ryde, and Woolwich areas over the weekend,” said Det A/Insp Sim.

The body of Ms Haddad has not yet been formally identified by her ex-husband is currently flying over from WA in order to identify it.